Joao Felix has moved to Chelsea as the most recent acquisition within the Todd Boehly period, with the Blues trying to reply after a poor begin to the season.
Eradicated from each home cup competitions by Manchester Metropolis, Graham Potter’s aspect sit tenth within the Premier League and 10 factors adrift of Manchester United within the hunt for a top-four end.
Joao Felix arrives as one more attacker within the quest to discover a dependable outlet within the ultimate third, becoming a member of on mortgage from Atletico Madrid till the top of the season.
Having failed to completely set up himself in Diego Simeone’s plans after a €126million (£113m) switch from Benfica in 2019, Joao Felix has some extent to show – although there are inquiries to be requested as as to whether he’s the addition Chelsea actually want.
Utilizing Opta information, Stats Carry out has delved into the numbers to evaluate whether or not Joao Felix might be the person Potter’s aspect are crying out for or whether or not he’s additional proof of a scattergun switch market strategy by the Blues.
Atletico’s restrictions
Though by no means scoring greater than 10 objectives or contributing greater than 5 assists in a single season for Atletico, Joao Felix’s affect has been steadily rising since his first marketing campaign within the Spanish capital.
In 2019-20, the Portugal worldwide averaged a direct objective contribution each 207 minutes, decreasing to 157 minutes in 2020-21, 137 minutes final season and 120 minutes this time period – the place he was already midway to final season’s mark of 10 objectives and had three assists.
Given Simeone’s type doesn’t go well with expressive gamers like Joao Felix, such a return might be taken as a constructive signal of his potential within the ultimate third, although a taking pictures accuracy of 47.29 per cent in LaLiga since 2019-20 ranks him close to the underside of forwards who’ve scored at the least 10 objectives in that interval.
Atletico create considerably fewer taking pictures alternatives than a lot of their European counterparts, nonetheless, rating outdoors the highest 25 for many photographs throughout all competitions in Europe’s top-five leagues since Joao Felix joined. As compared, Chelsea are fourth.
As Joao Felix has a low conversion fee, the 23-year-old wants extra possibilities to be able to improve his objective tally, which Atletico haven’t been in a position to present regularly.
Chelsea’s artistic void
Chelsea followers have celebrated simply 20 objectives within the Premier League this season, with solely supporters from the underside six and Crystal Palace having fewer alternatives to cheer, although that solely scratches the floor of the Blues’ points within the ultimate third.
A shot conversion fee of 10.75 per cent this season is simply narrowly behind top-four chasing Manchester United (11.1) and Liverpool (11.6), exhibiting that changing possibilities shouldn’t be the problem, however as an alternative lies with the shortage of alternatives being created.
Chelsea have had 186 photographs within the Premier League this season, solely Brentford, Everton, Nottingham Forest and Bournemouth have had fewer, figuring out the Blues’ lack of creativity is probably an even bigger trigger for concern than a dependable scorer.
Raheem Sterling stands as Chelsea’s most potent outlet this season with 22 possibilities created, a determine decrease than the very best complete of a single participant from any of their rivals within the established top-six and European-chasing Newcastle United.
Changing these possibilities has been one other large situation for Chelsea this time period, with no participant hitting the five-goal mark within the Premier League but this season and solely 4 gamers having scored twice or extra this time period.
Repair it Felix?
With a necessity to enhance creativity and their file in entrance of objective, Chelsea will look to Joao Felix as a possible repair for each points – although 4 objectives and 10 possibilities created in LaLiga for Atletico this season doesn’t recommend an instantaneous answer.
The most important query mark over the deal, although, is the place precisely Joao Felix suits into Potter’s beginning line-up, as neither he nor Kai Havertz are recognised centre-forwards however would seemingly should undertake a false 9 position.
At Atletico, Joao Felix has had the most important affect down the left, with 53.95 per cent of his touches this season down that aspect, whereas Havertz has been extra influential on both flank than he has via the center.
Maybe surprisingly, it’s Havertz who exhibits the higher functionality of being reworked right into a extra pure possibility via the center. Since he arrived at Stamford Bridge in September 2020, he boasts extra objectives and the next taking pictures accuracy than Joao Felix.
The Portuguese’s conversion fee of 15.82 per cent in that interval is barely higher than Havertz’s 14.07 per cent however the Germany worldwide has had 20 extra makes an attempt at objective, benefitting from Chelsea’s larger quantity attacking strategy in comparison with Atletico’s.
On the face of it, Joao Felix doesn’t stand out because the repair that Chelsea are crying out for this season, although the flexibility for Potter to cut and alter his ahead three with both Havertz or his new addition via the center ought to yield extra effectiveness within the ultimate third.